What Money Can't Buy
by Ryoko-hime
Summary: She was rich. She was poor. What could they possibly have in common between them? Part 5 Up
1. Chapter 1

I don't own the characters of Mai Hime. They are owned by Sunrise

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><p><strong>What Money Can't Buy<strong>

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><p>Natsuki saw her standing on the street corner every day. She had an old, battered looking violin that she always tucked lovingly under her chin whenever she played. Her fingers always played such beautiful and amazing music. The small cup the girl had placed down in front of her, had a stray coin or dollar placed into it as she played her heart out on the city streets.<p>

She was a beautiful looking person. Heart-shaped face, thick flowing chestnut locks, impish lips, and her most startling feature were a pair of ruby-red eyes that made you feel like you were drowning in her gaze.

Every day that Natsuki drove past this street corner in her family limo on the way to Fuuka Private Academy, she saw this girl playing. She looked about her own age, Natsuki always thought to herself. Maybe perhaps a year older, so Natsuki wondered why she wasn't in school as well.

Natsuki decided to find out for herself one day. She asked her driver to pull over at the curb the next day, despite his protestations, and she spent a few enjoyable minutes listening to the girl's music. Natsuki then walked forward once the girl had finished playing her song, and place a hundred dollar bill into the cup.

The honey-haired girl's eyebrows rose high up on her forehead, and an inquisitive look came into her ruby-red eyes.

"If you are propositioning me with such a large amount, the answer is no," a beautiful, lilting voice flowed from the girl's lips to Natsuki's ears. Natsuki nearly swooned at it...until she fully registered what the girl had just said. Natsuki's whole face instantly flamed red, and she sputtered angrily as she tried to find her tongue to answer.

"I am _not_ trying to p-p-proposition you! I just wanted to show my appreciation for your wonderful music. Now I'm beginning to regret trying to do that," Natsuki half-growled as she turned around, and began to angrily make her way back over to her waiting limo.

She didn't get too far though, as she felt a gentle hand rest on her arm, and she looked back over her shoulder into apologetic crimson-red eyes.

"I am truly very sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. It's just...I've had something like this happen to me before...more than once. It's usually a man who drops a large bill into my cup, and offers to take me someplace...private. So I wrongfully assumed you wanted the same from me as well. Again I am deeply sorry," here the oaken-haired girl bowed deeply towards Natsuki, her violin held tightly against her chest.

Natsuki looked around nervously as she noticed a small crowd had gathered, and were watching the other girl bowing down to her.

This kind of attention made Natsuki nervous, as she did _not_ need her father finding out about girls bowing down to her on street corners, when she was supposed to be on her way to school.

"I-It's okay. You don't need to bow down to me. It was an honest mistake. You can get back up now," Natsuki said as she continued to look nervously around. Thankfully people seemed to lose interest, and began moving back along to whatever they were doing before.

Natsuki let out a light sigh of relief as the chestnut-haired girl straightened back up, and gave Natsuki a soft hesitant smile.

"Okay, if you're sure it's really alright," the girl replied, as she moved back over to the cup and bent over slightly to pick it up. Her ruby-red eyes seemed to then light up like a Christmas tree, as she held the crisp bill firmly in her hand.

"I'll be able to eat for a whole month on this," the said in light awe, as she quickly pocketed the money into her slightly-tattered jacket pocket.

Natsuki shuffled nervously and shyly back and forth on her feet, before she looked at the other girl and asked her the question that had prompted her into stopping in the first place.

"Why don't you go to school? You're about the same age as me, perhaps a year older, yet you're out here all day. I see you in the mornings when I go to school, at midday when my driver picks me up from school to take me elsewhere for lunch, and at the end of the school day when I'm headed back home. Where...do you live?" Natsuki asked softly, not really wanting to ask such a personal question, but being completely unable to stop herself from doing so. There was just something about the girl before her that steadily tugged at her interests.

The crimson-eyed girl looked shamefully to the side, as she continued to clutch her violin to her chest, in what Natsuki was coming to realize as a self-protective stance.

"It's not much really...just a small dingy apartment. I share it with two roommates, and we all do what we can to get by. We don't really have anyone else to look out for us, so we do it for ourselves...and I _really_ don't know why I'm telling you all of this. It could mean serious trouble for us, if anyone ever knew where we were or what we're doing. I've got to go," the honey-haired girl responded as she quickly turned around, gathered up her violin case, and made to dash away down the street.

"Wait!" Natsuki exclaimed as she reached forward, and clasped her hand around the other girl's delicate wrist. "At least tell me your name," Natsuki begged softly, as she looked deeply into the other girl's eyes.

The girl looked searchingly at Natsuki's face for a few seconds, before she seemed to come to an internal decision, and nodded her head lightly.

"It's Shizuru. Shizuru Fujino. And your name is?" Shizuru asked with a curious tilt of her head.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I should have said my own name first. It's Natsuki. Natsuki Kuga," Natsuki answered with a slightly-crooked grin as she let go of Shizuru's hand.

"Natsuki..." Shizuru seemed to taste Natsuki's name across her tongue, as she gently rolled Natsuki's name in that delightful accent that made Natsuki's toes curl in pleasure. Then before Natsuki could blink, Shizuru was off and running down the street. Natsuki stepped forward with her arm raised towards Shizuru's back, as the chestnut-haired girl began vanishing into the crowd.

"Shizuru, wait! Will you be back here again tomorrow?" Natsuki called out anxiously.

Shizuru paused briefly, and looked back over her shoulder to give Natsuki a small smile as she called back her answer.

"Yes!"

Natsuki never saw Shizuru at that street corner again.

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><p><em>To be continued?<em>

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><p>Please review and let me know what you guys thought of this ^^<em><br>_


	2. Chapter 2

*blinks once...then twice...then _thrice_ in shocked humbled surprise.*

I can _honestly_ say that when I wrote the first chapter for this story, I was expecting at most 6 reviews. Seriously lol. I am deeply humbled and grateful to everyone who has thus far read, reviewed, and alerted this story. I'm really happy you all liked and enjoyed the first chapter so much ^_^

Now comes the 'fun' challenging part. Crafting a second chapter that continues to interest and entertain you all, so that I can hopefully retain all of you as readers of this fic ^^

So please enjoy Chapter Two of~

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><p><strong>What Money Can't Buy<strong>

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><p>"Nao! Mikoto! I'm back," Shizuru called out as she pushed on the door that led into her run-down apartment. The door always stuck in the same place, and it took a considerable amount of effort on Shizuru's part to muscle the door open.<p>

Finally she was able to get the door open enough for her to squeeze herself through, and she quickly entered the apartment and slammed the door back shut behind her.

The single bulb hanging from the ceiling was flickering on and off as it usually did, and Shizuru wandered slowly into the small room, pulling her tattered coat from her small frame, and laying it across the back of the lone rickety chair in the apartment. She placed the violin case holding her precious violin against the wall by the door.

Shizuru glanced around the sorry looking room, and took in the bare broken-legged table the chair was facing. The fourth leg of the table was actually a small stack of books that Nao had 'borrowed' from the local library. Nao's reasoning was that they wouldn't even miss them, and the three young girls could get a lot more 'mileage' out of them than than any other random reader, or the stuffy old librarian.

Shizuru knew she should have objected but she _really_ could find it within herself to do so, as Nao _was_ right that they could use the books more than someone else at the time. The semi-sturdiness of their lone table in the room attested to that fact.

"Nao? Mikoto?" Shizuru called out again, softer this time as she made her way into the one other room in the small apartment besides the tiny bathroom. The bedroom wasn't much larger than the bathroom, but it was large enough for the three girls to have a small mattress laid out on the floor that the three of them usually all slept on, cuddled close together for warmth. Especially during the past winter months when all they had for a cover was a half-torn sheet, that that they always valiantly tried to spread across all three of their bodies with limited success.

It was in here, their tiny bedroom laying on the small mattress, that Shizuru finally found her small 'family'.

Nao was laid out on her back, snoring lightly with one arm thrown to the side, and the other resting lightly on her stomach. Mikoto was blissfully sleeping on Nao's shoulder, a small smile on her face as she dreamed whatever dreams brought a brief moment of happiness to the young girl's otherwise troubled life.

Shizuru moved quietly over to the sleeping pair, and stooped down to stare fondly at them. She then reached out with her finger, and gently poked Nao against her cheek. Nao snorted lightly in her sleep at the brief contact, and Shizuru giggled softly before she reached forward and poked Nao lightly again.

This time Nao's lime-green eyes snapped open, and her hand came up and quickly grasped Shizuru's hand. Nao glared up into Shizuru's eyes that were dancing with teasing amusement, before the red-headed girl let out a breath of exasperation and slowly sat up. She ended up dislodging Mikoto who tumbled off of Nao's shoulder with a mild cry, and Nao stretched her arms over her head in a long, lazy stretch that would have made a cat proud with her feline-like grace.

"Fine way to wake someone up, Shizuru. You got a reason for doing so?" Nao asked as she slowly rose to her feet and then reached her hand down for Mikoto to take, as she tugged the smaller dark-haired girl to her feet. Once she was fully standing, Mikoto immediately scampered over to one of only two of her favourite people in the whole wide world.

Shizuru laughed softly as Mikoto wrapped her arms around her in a warm hug, and Shizuru slowly rose to her feet as well. Shizuru then grinned at Nao, reached into the pocket of one of only two pairs of faded old jeans she owned, and pulled out the still crisp one-hundred dollar bill.

Both Nao and Mikoto's eyes opened wide, and Mikoto began jumping around their small room in joy. The bill meant that they could _finally_ afford to buy some cup ramen noodles. They'd basically been living on dry crackers, stale bread, and tap water for weeks now. Now they could finally afford to treat themselves a bit.

Nao and Shizuru grinned at each other as they watched the golden-eyed girl bouncing happily around their small room. They knew _exactly_ what she was thinking about, and they were both happy to see the young girl they both considered a sister so excited. Even though Mikoto was fourteen, the same age as Nao, both Shizuru and Nao considered her the 'younger one'. Shizuru having recently just turned 16 was the 'older' sister of their small trio. And she had just made her two younger siblings very happy, which made the brunette herself pretty happy as well.

"Well, tell us how you managed to score so much cash at once. I know you're really good at your violin playing, but it's never netted us _this_ much money at once before," Nao said as she began moving back out towards their small living room area. Her half-tattered jacket was out there, and she knew their next order of business was to pay a trip out to the grocery store.

Once out in their small living room area, Nao picked up her jacket and snuggly tugged it on. It was getting a bit small for her, but it was the only jacket she had and she treasured it dearly.

"This really nice and very sweet girl gave it to me. Her name was...Natsuki," Shizuru answered as she followed Nao out of their bedroom, a happy Mikoto following along right behind Shizuru like a puppy.

Nao paused in buttoning up the few buttons left on her jacket, turned around and gave Shizuru an inquisitive stare, as her eyebrow rose slowly up her forehead.

"First a hundred-dollar bill, then a stranger you seem to know on a first name basis? Is there something you think you should tell us, Shizuru?" Nao asked as she placed her hand on her hip, and eyed the older girl of their group. Mikoto looked first at Nao, then at Shizuru, then back at Nao as she sensed the sudden small tension between her two favourite people. Mikoto reached out, and wrapped her small hand around Shizuru's, causing the chestnut-haired girl to smile down softly at her. Mikoto returned the smile, and waited patiently beside Shizuru for the tension between the two other members of her small family to dissipate.

"I ah...I may have...kind of ah...sort of...told her...Natsuki...my real name and that I live alone with two other people..." Shizuru trailed off softly, as she gave Nao an apologetic smile.

Nao stared at Shizuru in stunned disbelief, and all Nao could do was sputter incoherently for a few seconds before she finally exploded.

"You did what! Are you purposely trying to get us found out by Child Services and thrown back into that hellish foster care system! What were you _thinking_, Shizuru! _Please_ tell me you didn't reveal any more than that to this...this..._Natsuki_ person?" Nao asked with a deep scowl, at the one person she could usually count on the the most 'responsible' of the three of them. That Shizuru had disclosed such personal information about herself and vaguely about her and Mikoto as well, was simply mind-boggling to the red-head.

Shizuru bowed her head in shame at her own irresponsible actions, and she felt Mikoto gently squeeze her hand in comfort. Shizuru knew that Mikoto understood _everything_ that was going on and being said around her. The sometimes feral girl may not be a big talker, a holdover from some past trauma in a foster home she was unfortunate to be in, before Shizuru and Nao got her out and they all fled together. But Mikoto was a _very_ intelligent girl, and it often pained Shizuru's heart that she could only do so much for the two girls she had willingly taken under her wing.

_They should be in school, living happy carefree lives as high school students at this point in their lives. Not worrying about being forced back into foster care, and living a hairbreadth away from being on the streets,_ Shizuru thought mournfully to herself, not registering it at all in her mind that _she_ herself should be living just as carefree as her younger 'sisters', going to high school and living life free of worry and stress. Shizuru had had to grow up too early, too fast, to truly think of herself as a 'child' anymore. She considered herself the supposed 'grownup' of their small group, yet she had just messed up greatly as any young child would do.

"I'm sorry, Nao...and you too Mikoto, as this also concerns you and your well-being. I messed up. I won't go back to that street corner ever again so that Natsu...so that girl won't ever be able to find me again. I'll disappear. I'm good at that after all," Shizuru said in a small, quiet voice as she continued to look shamefully down at the ground.

Nao let out a deep sigh, and walked slowly toward Shizuru. She reached forward and placed her finger under Shizuru's chin, gently tilting the chestnut-haired girl's face back up, and once Shizuru's tear-filled ruby-red eyes came up and met Nao's forest-green ones, Nao gave Shizuru a slightly-crooked grin.

"Hey, no crying now. What's done is done. We'll just have to be a bit more careful from now on. And something good came of your meeting with this...Natsuki chick. She gave you some serious cash for what I'm assuming was her enjoying your excellent violin playing. We'll actually be able to eat something more than dry nasty crackers and stale bread. So it's all good," Nao said, as she raised her hand to wipe away the couple of stray tears that had managed to slip from Shizuru's eyes.

"Yes...yes you're right, Nao. We at least have that to look forward to for a little while," Shizuru said as she returned Nao's smile.

Mikoto hummed happily, pleased that things had been resolved within her small family, and she began excitedly tugging Shizuru towards the front door. The dark-haired girl also grabbed hold of Nao's hand, and also quickly began tugging her towards the door.

Shizuru laughed softly, finally fully releasing the tension she had been feeling for the past few minutes. Nao grumbled softly but good-naturedly, and allowed herself to be tugged to the door, where with the combined effort of the three of them they were able to quickly open the usually stubborn door, and all slip through to head out to the corner store for food.

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><p>"It's been a whole week since I last saw her. She <em>promised<em> me she'd be back the very next day, but I haven't seen her since! Where...where is she..." Natsuki muttered miserably as she rested her forehead down on the picnic table, situated outside under a huge towering tree on the Academy's beautifully-manicured grounds.

Natsuki felt someone pat her shoulder in sympathy, which just caused her to moan louder.

"Cheer up, pal. I'm sure that this girl of yours...this 'Shizuru' chick...you two will run into each other again somehow somewhere. If it's meant to be, ya know destiny and all that jazz, you two will meet each other again," Natsuki's close friend Chie said philosophically, as she lightly sucked on a cherry lollipop.

"Agreed, Natsuki. So quit moping about and cheer up. You've been like this for days now. I don't even really understand what caught your attention and interest so much with this girl," Natsuki's other close friend Mai said, as she lightly tucked a strand of fiery-orange hair behind her ear.

Natsuki sighed deeply, and looked down at her hands as she played idly with her fingers.

"I don't know what it is about her...I've seen her playing that violin of hers on the street corner for weeks now, and a week ago I just suddenly got this urge to go out and meet her in person. There's just something about her that tugs at my interest. I don't...I don't really know how to explain it better than that," Natsuki said, as frustration with herself and her inability to properly explain her feelings leaked into her voice.

Natsuki then felt a soft warm hand cover her fidgeting fingers, and she looked up into Mai's softly smiling face.

"It's alright, Natsuki. You've actually explained yourself pretty well that you feel _something_ for this lost girl. And if you want Chie and I will do _everything_ within our power to help you find her, if you want to look for her. Right, Chie?" Mai asked her light-grey haired friend.

Chie replied with a wink and a thumbs up sign.

Natsuki felt a swell of gratitude and affection for her friends, and she nodded in agreement and renewed determination.

"You guys are right. I _will_ find Shizuru again. I will."

_I want to see you again, Shizuru. Let me find you again. Please..._

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><p>"Well, it's been a full week since we've been able to eat decently, and if we continue to manage the money as well as we have, we can finish out the rest of this month with it," Nao said as she, Shizuru, and Mikoto stood before an open-air fruit stand, admiring all the ripe juicy fruit they saw before them.<p>

Shizuru nodded absentmindedly, as most of her attention was being drawn to the street corner she had abandoned a week earlier. The fruit stand was located just down the street from the corner, but Mikoto had been insistent on coming here as she _really_ wanted to be treated to a plump juicy apple.

Shizuru had been very hesitant to come back here, but she also wanted to indulge Mikoto as the girl rarely ever asked for anything. Nao and Mikoto were too young to actually have jobs of their own, and it would be too suspicious for either of them to try to find work, as any employer would want some form of parental permission if they were to hire an underage child. So that left Shizuru as the one trying to scrape together enough funds to keep them all off of the streets. She was old enough to get jobs 'under-the-table' where employers didn't really ask for identification or parental permission. They just wanted someone to wash the dishes in their restaurants, take out the trash at the clubs, or sweep floors at a center. Simple jobs that paid very little, but allowed the three girls to keep a roof over their heads, and a bit of food in their bellies.

The only bit of true pleasure Shizuru found in her life besides being with her small family, was when she would play her violin on a street corner. Her violin was a present from her mother before she passed away, when Shizuru was still a child. It was the only possession that she held onto throughout the many foster homes she passed through. She taught herself how to play it by ear, and when she did it brought her a sense of peace and tranquility she was sorely lacking in her everyday life.

So now here she stood, just a couple of blocks away from the street corner that she had met _her_, and it was making her slightly anxious.

"Hey! Hey you! What are you doing! Put that apple down you little thief!"

Shizuru immediately shook herself out of her wandering thoughts, and finally focused in on what was going on around her. What she saw made her blood run cold. Mikoto, having grown impatient with Shizuru not having already bought her the apple she wanted, had taken one from the apple section of the fruit stand, and was already almost finished eating it.

The store owner was purple-faced and shouting that he was going to call the police on the three of them. Mikoto looking scared and panicked, dropped the mostly finished apple and took off running down the street. She ran towards the street corner that had been distracting Shizuru so much, she had missed all the events that had now triggered this mess.

Nao called out after Mikoto and quickly ran after the smaller girl. Shizuru didn't waste any time and quickly took off in pursuit as well, quickly outpacing Nao which didn't really surprise the red-head, as she knew that Shizuru was deceptively very physically fit.

"Mikoto, wait! Stop! It's okay, it was just a mistake. We'll go back and explain, and pay the store owner! Mikoto!" Shizuru cried out desperately as Mikoto swiftly approached the street corner, too terrified of being caught and sent back to those foster homes to stop and listen to Shizuru.

Shizuru put on another burst of speed, and quickly began catching up to Mikoto.

What happened in the next few seconds would haunt Shizuru for the rest of her life.

Mikoto dashed out into the middle of traffic, not paying attention to the changing street lights.

Shizuru saw the dark car approaching the distraught young girl...she heard the screech of brakes as the driver tried to stop the car...she smelt the burnt rubber of the tires as they failed to stop the car in time.

And she felt the bone-shattering pain of impact as she jumped through the air, shoved Mikoto out of the way of the car, and took the full-brunt hit of the car.

Shizuru thought to herself as she felt her body flying through the air, then crashing down _hard_ on the pavement below, that it really was true what they said about not feeling any pain when you believe you were dying.

Shizuru lay on the pavement, the sounds of shouts, screams, and running feet sounding muffled in her ears. She tried to draw air into her lungs, and each breath rattled around shallowly between the broken ribs in her chest.

_Am I going to die here like this? Nao...Mikoto...I'm so...sorry..._

Then a voice she had thought she would never hear again, and sounded so sweet to her ears right now, penetrated the cloudy fog that was threatening to swallow her mind.

"Nat...su...ki..." Shizuru labored out softly, as her eyes tried to focus in on the beautiful image of the girl who was crying desperately over her. Natsuki was saying something about her being so horribly sorry that her driver had hit her with the limo, and for Shizuru to _please_ not die.

_She looks just like an Angel,_ Shizuru thought to herself, as a soft smile came to her lips.

_Don't worry Natsuki, I won't die here...I can't leave Nao and Mikoto on their own...I have to live...I have to **live**...I have to be there for them...for them...and for you...Natsuki..._

Shizuru then closed her eyes...and surrendered to oblivion.


	3. Chapter 3

The answer to this question asked was touched upon in Chapter Two, but just so that everyone knows for sure, the ages of all the girls currently in the story are:

_Shizuru - 16_

_Natsuki - 16_

_Nao - 14_

_Mikoto - 14_

_Mai - 16_

_Chie - 16_

And also thank you so very much to everyone who continues to read, alert, and review this story. You all inspire me to create chapters and share them with you all as quickly as I can, so please continue to be my inspiration and review this chapter when you've finished reading ^^

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><p>Shizuru slowly opened her eyes and looked straight up at something white above her head.<p>

_Did I actually die and go to Heaven...?_ Shizuru drowsily thought to herself. She felt lightheaded and completely unlike her usual self.

_What happened to me...?_ Shizuru continued to wonder, as she tried to move her arms and legs.

A swift jolt of pain went through her right leg, left arm, and chest and a pained gasp escaped her lips.

_Okay...so I'm probably not dead and in Heaven...that hurt **way** too much for me not to be alive,_ Shizuru concluded to herself, as her garnet-coloured eyes focused in on the white object above her head, and she realized that it was a ceiling. Shizuru then tried to move her head, but something around her neck prevented her from doing so.

_A neck brace?_ Shizuru wondered worriedly to herself.

Then suddenly everything came flashing back to her mind about what had happened to her. Mikoto, the apple, chasing after the panicked dark-haired girl, the car, pushing Mikoto out of the way, and finally...being hit full-on by the car. And then...an Angel appearing before her...an Angel with Natsuki's face and voice.

Shizuru felt her eyelids begin drooping slowly shut again. She felt drained and weak, and she just wanted to know where Nao and Mikoto were.

_And if her Angel would pay her a visit again._

~o~o~o~_  
><em>

The next time Shizuru opened her eyes she looked up and into worried, tearful lime-green eyes.

"Oh thank God , you're finally awake Shizuru! Mikoto and I have been...so worried," Nao said tearfully as she held Shizuru's free hand in her own, as she sat in a chair beside where Shizuru lay.

Shizuru blinked slowly, as her brain played catch-up once again with all the events that had recently transpired.

"Nao..." Shizuru breathed out, as tears also came to her crimson eyes. "Where's Mikoto? I've been so worried about you both," Shizuru said around a dry mouth. Her throat and tongue felt so dry and it was a little difficult to talk.

"I'm right here, Shizuru," a new, soft voice spoke up and Shizuru moved her eyes over to her other side, where she saw Mikoto holding a small cup of water. The poor girl's hands were shaking as she held the cup in both hands, desperately trying not to spill any of the liquid while she also struggled not to burst into tears. The golden-eyed girl soon lost the battle with her emotions, and Nao was just able to reach out and grab the cup from Mikoto's hands before it fell. Mikoto then threw herself forward, wrapped her small arms as best she could around Shizuru's prone form, and hugged the honey-haired girl as she sobbed piteously.

"I'm sorry, Shizuru! I am so **_so_** sorry! It's my fault you were hurt so badly! You could have _died_. I'm so sorry...so sorry..." Mikoto trailed off, sobbing softly against Shizuru's chest. Shizuru bit back the pain that Mikoto's weight against her chest was causing, as she didn't want her distraught sister to feel any worse than she already did.

"So I'm in a hospital then?" Shizuru asked softly, as Nao came up behind Mikoto and gently moved the small girl off of Shizuru's chest. Shizuru held in her sigh of relief that the pressure on her chest was now gone, so Mikoto wouldn't realize how much extra pain she had caused her older sister.

"Yeah, you are. After the...accident...the driver of the car called an ambulance, and once the paramedics arrived they immediately took you to this hospital. It's owned by the family of the girl who was in the car that hit you...Natsuki Kuga," Nao informed Shizuru, as she led Mikoto over to the chair the red-head had been sitting in before. Nao gently eased Mikoto down onto the seat, while she stood behind the sniffling girl and gently rubbed her shoulders.

"Natsuki..." Shizuru softly breathed out, as she felt her eyelids slowly begin drooping closed again. "Why do I...keep falling...asleep like this..." Shizuru murmured as she desperately tried to fight the call of slumber. There were so many things she wanted and _needed_ to know. How were Nao and Mikoto taking care of themselves without her? Why hadn't Child Services come and taken them all away by now? How badly was she injured? How long had she been in this hospital owned by Natsuki's family?

_Where was Natsuki herself?_

"It's the medication they gave you. It causes extreme drowsiness. The doctor says that lots of rest will help you heal better and faster," Nao answered as she leaned forward to once again hold Shizuru's hand.

Shizuru's eyes blinked once...twice...then they closed fully, just as the voice of her special Angel filtered in through her sleep-drowsed mind.

_Natsuki...you came..._

Shizuru then drifted off to sleep once again.

~o~o~o~

The next time Shizuru opened her eyes she was once again looking up into green eyes. They didn't belong to Nao this time though, and Shizuru blinked a few times to clear the haziness from her mind. Once she had, she was able to focus in on the smiling face above her. Shizuru felt her heart twinged faintly in disappointment, when she realized it wasn't Natsuki's shining emerald-green eyes she was looking up into. The gently smiling face above her _did_ bear a striking resemblance to Natsuki though.

"Hello Shizuru, how are you doing today my dear?" the older woman asked in a soft, melodious voice.

Shizuru blushed lightly at the strikingly-beautiful woman before her, and answered shyly, "I'm okay I guess. I'm a bit disorientated. I'm not really sure what happened after my...accident. And I'm not really sure how long I've been laying here, or how bad my injuries are. Can you...please tell me what happened and what's...going to happen to me, Mikoto, and Nao?" Shizuru asked in a soft, scared whisper. She felt like the child she truly was in this woman's presence, and all the fear and worry she usually kept hidden inside so that she could be strong for her younger sisters, came bubbling up to the surface.

The woman smiled at Shizuru again, recognizing the fear for her loved ones and herself in the young girl's garnet-red gaze. The older woman then reached forward slowly, and gently ran her fingers through the chestnut bangs hanging over Shizuru's forehead.

"Looks like you need a small haircut, my dear," the woman replied, as Shizuru's eyes closed softly at the woman's gentle touch.

_This touch...this feeling...it reminds me of...Mama...before she passed away...,_ Shizuru thought faintly to herself, as the now-familiar lethargic feeling of the drugs in her system began to take hold of her once again.

"My name is Saeko Kuga. Nao and Mikoto are currently under my and my husband's care. As are you. I'll go into further details once you've rested up again, and the doctor releases you to be taken home. To my family's home. You've been here at this hospital we own for about a week and a half now. You sustained injuries to your leg, arm, chest, and head. That's why time seems to constantly be flowing away from you. You were actually in a mild coma for the first three days, and you have needed _lots_ of rest to recover to the point you are at now. So sleep well, dear child. We'll talk more when you awaken again," Saeko said, as she tenderly stroked her palm down the side of Shizuru's face.

Shizuru nodded drowsily as she stopped trying to fight sleep's pull, and once again drifted off into a healing sleep.

~o~o~o~

In what was quickly becoming a recurring theme for Shizuru, she opened her rose-red eyes and stared up into worried green ones. This time though a brilliant smile lit up Shizuru's face, as she gazed up into the face of her Angel.

"Natsuki..." Shizuru breathed out, as an answering smile lit up Natsuki's face.

"Shizuru..." Natsuki answered back, as she lightly squeezed the tawny-haired girl's hand.

"Shizuru, I'm so...sorry for what happened. It was my fault that you were hit. If I hadn't told my driver to go back to that spot we had first met everyday, then we wouldn't have been driving by and hit you," Natsuki said with a sad, guilty frown as she gently rubbed her thumb across the back of Shizuru's hand.

"It wasn't Natsuki's fault. I should have been paying closer attention to my younger sister, and what she was doing at the nearby fruit stand. The events that followed after because of my...distraction...at that time were my fault," Shizuru said earnestly, as she tried to sooth Natsuki's guilt-ridden feelings.

Natsuki smiled weakly at Shizuru, and continued to lightly stroke her thumb across the back of Shizuru's hand. The sensation of Natsuki's finger drawing soothing circles across her hand, sent a small shiver down Shizuru's back.

"We'll be moving you soon. The doctor says that it's now okay for you to leave, and that as long as you get plenty of rest and don't move around too much on your own, you should be mostly healed in 6-8 weeks," Natsuki said, as she leaned forward to lightly fluff the pillow behind Shizuru's head.

Shizuru's honey-coloured eyebrow slowly rose at the time given for her recovery, and that's when the russet-eyed girl truly looked down at her body to take stock of her injuries. The first thing she realized was that the neck brace she remembered feeling a day...two days ago perhaps...was now gone. Shizuru wasn't even really sure how much time had passed since she first drowsily opened her eyes. But now that she was fairly cognizant and awake, she intended to take full advantage of it. The next thing that she realized was that she had a cast wrapped tightly around her left arm, and another fully wrapping her right leg.

"You also have bandages covering your chest," Natsuki said in that same guilt-filled voice she had earlier, as she noticed Shizuru looking down at her body, trying to see where she was injured. "Your leg and arm were broken, two of your ribs were severely fractured, and you suffered a pretty bad concussion," Natsuki continued softly.

Shizuru absorbed the news of her injuries quietly. She then opened her mouth to ask Natsuki a few questions about what would happen next, when a nurse dressed in cheerful pink scrubs came into the room. She smiled kindly at Shizuru and told her it was time for her to rest again. That's when Shizuru noticed the IV coming out from her inner arm, right above her cast. The friendly nurse inserted a needle into the spot made for it, and Shizuru could almost feel the cool soothing feeling of the medication coursing through her veins, as the sleeping pain medication began doing its job.

"I'll talk with you later, Shizuru. For now you rest up and get better," Natsuki said as she got up from the chair she'd been sitting in, and began to pull her hand from Shizuru's. Natsuki stopped however when Shizuru held tightly onto her hand, not letting the dark-haired girl go. Natsuki looked down and into Shizuru's slightly fear-filled eyes, and she gave the chestnut-haired girl a soft smile as she understood why there was fear in Shizuru's eyes.

"I'll be here the next time you wake up again. I promise. Oh, and Nao and Mikoto are doing well also, so you don't need to worry about them. I'm looking out for them...for you," Natsuki said softly and shyly, as she reached forward with her free hand. Her hand paused briefly and hesitantly above Shizuru's forehead, before she continued to reach forward and gently stroked her fingers through Shizuru's bangs.

Shizuru's eyes closed at the sensation of Natsuki's soft touch, and the sleep medication flowing through her body.

"You need a haircut," Natsuki said with a soft, quirked grin as she slowly pulled both her hands back. Shizuru hummed with a small smile, as she finally allowed Natsuki to gently pull her hand from her own.

"I'll see you later, Shizuru. Sweet dreams."

Shizuru then dreamed that she felt soft lips press gently against her forehead.

_Of course that was only just a dream...right..._

~o~o~o~

The next time Shizuru opened her eyes, the ceiling was no longer a plain white. It was a creamy-pastel, and a cool breeze was blowing lightly across her skin. Her ruby-red eyes opened wide, and a small, light yawn escaped her lips. Shizuru then quickly began to notice other changes in her current surroundings.

The bed she was now laying upon was soft, plush, and comfy. There was also an open screen door across the room, that opened out into a bright and beautiful sunny day. There was a cherry blossom tree with branches filled with the beautiful pink blossoms, right before the balcony that the open screen door led out to. Shizuru realized then that she must be on an upper floor of a building.

"Hello, Shizuru," a soft, rich-velvety voice that she was quickly beginning to look forward to hearing often, spoke from the side of the bed she had yet to look over to.

Shizuru quickly turned her gaze to follow after that lovely enticing voice, and she saw Natsuki sitting by the side of the bed in a beautifully-made, wooden chair with a quirky grin on her face.

"Told you I'd be here the next time you woke up," Natsuki said as she gently took Shizuru's hand into her own, and gazed deeply into Shizuru's shining, garnet-red eyes.

Shizuru bestowed upon Natsuki a beautiful, happy smile as she lightly squeezed the raven-haired girl's hand.

Natsuki returned the smile with one that reached all the way up to her sparkling-emerald eyes as she spoke softly again.

"Welcome home, Shizuru. Welcome home."


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to everyone who continues to read, alert, and review this story. You all inspire me to create chapters and share them with you all as quickly as I can, so please continue to be my inspiration and review this chapter when you've finished reading ^^

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><p><strong>What Money Can't Buy<strong>

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><p>Shizuru smiled brilliantly at the sable-haired girl, as Natsuki 'welcomed' her to her home. Shizuru opened her mouth to softly thank Natsuki for her welcome and taking care of her and her small family, family, when the door to the bedroom burst open and said family came spilling into the room.<p>

"Shizuru!" Mikoto cried out happily, as she made a beeline for Shizuru's side. Nao walked at a more sedate pace, but the excitement at seeing Shizuru again was plain in her evergreen eyes. "Hey, Shizuru. How are you feeling today?" Nao asked, as she came to stand slightly behind Natsuki's sitting form. Mikoto had run over to the other side of the bed and was leaning over Shizuru's chest, grinning happily down at the chestnut-haired girl's face.

Shizuru returned the happy grin, and lightly pulling her free hand from Natsuki's, Shizuru reached up and affectionately ran her fingers through the dark-haired girl's bangs. Mikoto purred in soft pleasure as her golden eyes closed, and a serene expression came over her face.

Natsuki and Nao shared an indulgent look between each other at the two before them. During the short time that Nao and Mikoto had been in the Kuga household, they had both already formed a small bond with Natsuki. For Nao it was almost as if she had known Natsuki before, the two of them just seemed to click well together. And Mikoto was just so easygoing in general, that she and Natsuki were also very comfortable around each other.

The four young people then all suddenly looked up and over to the door, as it once again opened to admit someone else into the room.

Shizuru felt her breath catch slightly, as she watched the woman who had such a striking and stunning look, and who resembled Natsuki so much enter the room. She walked with a slow, steadied grace. Her long raven-black hair flowed down her back, and over the pastel-pink and white kimono that she wore with grace. A smile was on her face as she came over to Shizuru's bed, and Natsuki immediately got up from the chair, and allowed her mother to sit in it with a demure "thank you."

Shizuru felt nervous in this amazing woman's presence. She reminded the tawny-haired girl of her own mother in small subtle ways. At least in ways that Shizuru could remember. She had lost her mother at the tender age of seven, so most of her memories of the woman who would laugh happily at the slightest things, and who had a gentle and soothing presence similar to Natsuki's mother, were faint and not always easy to remember.

"Hello again, Shizuru dear. You're looking much better than you were in the hospital when we last spoke. I knew the change in environment and continued rest would do you a world of good," Saeko said as she gave Shizuru a soft, motherly smile.

Shizuru blushed shyly and nodded as she replied back, "yes, thank you, I'm feeling much better now. I also want to thank you for taking care of my sisters while I was unable to. I _swear_ to you that I'll repay all of your kindness once I'm able to freely move around again. And then Nao, Mikoto, and I will take our leave and no longer bother you and your kind family again." Shizuru's ruby-red eyes found Nao's lime-green and Mikoto's amber-coloured eyes, and the three of them nodded faintly in agreement with each other, at the plan to someday repay their hosts.

Natsuki and her mother shared a brief look of their own, as small smiles came to both their faces. Saeko turned back to Shizuru, took the prone girl's hand between both of her own, and looked at all three wayward girls briefly in turn before once again settling her gaze on Shizuru with a soft smile.

"We've decided...my husband, daughter and I...to adopt the three of you into our family."

The silence that greeted this statement would have been comical to Natsuki, if she hadn't been looking at the expressions on the other three girl's faces. _Stunned wouldn't even begin to describe it,_ Natsuki thought to herself, as she watched a myriad of emotions play out across the other girls' faces.

Shizuru was the first to attempt talking but when she opened her mouth to do so, her lips moved but no actual words came out.

Nao sat down hard on the bottom edge of Shizuru's bed, being careful to not actually touch the brunette's bandaged leg. The red-head ran her fingers through her hair in a slightly-agitated motion, as she tried to process this news that Natsuki's mother had just hit them with.

Mikoto was the quickest of the three to process and accept the news, and a blindingly-bright smile spread over the young girl's face. She rushed over to Natsuki's mother, threw her small arms around her neck in a firm hug, and cried out, "you're our new Mommy!"

Saeko sat stunned for a second or two before an answering brilliant smile covered her face, and she returned Mikoto's hug one-handed, as her other continued to gently grasp the shaking brunette's hand.

Shizuru looked up and into Saeko's shining emerald-green eyes, as tears came to her burgundy eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Nao bit back a sniffle as she hurriedly wiped her hand under her nose, and turned her body so that no one could see the tears that pricked at the corners of her eyes.

_They were being adopted._

Someone actually _finally_ truly wanted them, and it was someone who seemed to genuinely care about their well-being. The three young girls were all filled with so many emotions, that it was going to take some time for them to fully process the wonderful news. Saeko realized and understood this, and she locked glances with her daughter once again, and tilted her head slightly towards the door.

Natsuki understood her mother's silent meaning, and both Kugas moved from Shizuru's bedside and walked over to the door, saying they would be back later so that the three girls would have a little time together.

As soon as the door closed quietly behind Natsuki and Saeko, Nao and Mikoto moved over to Shizuru's side. They all then fell into each others arms crying tears of joy, being as mindful as they could of Shizuru's injuries as they held each other close.

_They finally had a home to call their own._

~o~o~o~

"Now stay still my dear, while I comb out this knot. I did mention to you before that you needed a small haircut," Saeko said with a light twinkle in her jade-green eyes, as she sat on the edge of Shizuru's bed. She lightly stroked a comb through Shizuru's honey-coloured locks, and snipped carefully with a small pair of scissors at any split ends she found.

It had been a full week since Saeko had broken the news that she and her family were adopting the three young girls. The paperwork for the adoption was already being swiftly processed, as the Kugas had a _lot_ of influence and connections in many different areas and fields. There was however one _very_ important stipulation made in the adoption proceedings, and it had been adamantly made by Saeko's husband, Ichiro Kuga.

He demanded that once Shizuru, Nao, and Mikoto all turned 18 that they would no longer be considered 'Kugas', and would not be entitled to any further of the family's wealth. In fact, he didn't even want the three girls to be 'officially' adopted by his family. Ichiro made his wife change the terms of the 'adoption', so that the Kugas would only be considered the three girls 'legal guardians' and not actual 'parents'.

The way that Ichiro actually saw things, Shizuru should _never_ have been in the way of his driver to get hit in the first place. To him it would look terrible socially for one of his employees to have run over a young girl and then he, Ichiro Kuga of the elite and influential Kuga Conglomerate, to then leave her out on the streets to care for herself. So he had agreed to care for the three essentially homeless girls...mostly at his wife's _very_ insistent urging...and partly because he _did_ feel a slight twinge of responsibility for the injured girl and her small family. _But _he had only agreed to their care until the three girls turned 18, and then could be legally released back out into the world on their own.

Saeko had explained all of this to the three young girls, after she had first told them that they were being 'adopted'. It broke her heart to have to explain that her husband had changed the terms of their adoption. But Shizuru, Nao, and Mikoto were so eternally grateful to Saeko and her family for taking them in at all, that the three young girls were still very happy to have somewhere to call home and a new family. Even if it was only until they all turned 18. And considering the fact that Nao and Mikoto were a full two years younger than Shizuru, it meant that the three of them could all stay under the same roof of their 'adopted' family for those two extra years, until Nao and Mikoto were both also 18.

And Saeko promised them all that even after they all turned 18 and she was no longer 'legally' responsible for them, that they could all still count on her and Natsuki for absolutely anything that they ever needed.

Shizuru, Nao, and Mikoto had yet to meet Ichiro Kuga himself. He was off on a business trip in Mumbai, India and he wasn't scheduled to come back for another 6 weeks.

Saeko had talked to the three girls about starting school with Natsuki, once Shizuru was back on her feet again. Considering the fact that they hadn't had much formal education in the last few years of their lives, Saeko decided to hire a private tutor for them all to help them get a head-start on what they would need to know when they all started classes.

Miyu was a very strict but not unkind private tutor. She taught all three girls what they would need to know for the grades that they would be entering into. They actually surprised Miyu quite a bit with how intelligent they all were. They were all pretty fast learners and grasped onto concepts, ideas, and equations fairly quickly. Even Mikoto who Miyu had worried at first would be the slower learner of the three. But even she excelled beyond Miyu's highest expectations, and the blue-haired woman told Saeko that her three young students would be ready to start classes at Fuuka Academy, when she was done tutoring them.

So the 4-6 weeks that Shizuru needed for a full recovery passed fairly quickly, with many new and wonderful memories made for them all. Saeko brought home crutches for Shizuru during her second week of recovery, so that the chestnut-haired girl could be a bit more mobile on her own. Shizuru had some trouble getting used to them at first, and had to depend on Natsuki's caring touch to balance her around the Kuga's sprawling estate. Shizuru may or may not have wobbled more than she needed to on her crutches, which always inspired Natsuki to rush to her side and gently slip her arms around the crimson-eyed girl's waist to keep her steady.

Finally the necessary 6 weeks for Shizuru to make a full recovery passed, and Shizuru was finally able to have all her casts removed. Her leg and arm were fully healed, and she could now move them with only the smallest twinge of discomfort, which the doctor said would also eventually go away. Her fractured ribs had actually healed a week earlier, and Shizuru could _finally_ do something that she had been kept away from the entire time of her painful recovery. So when she was able to snap open the lids on her battered violin case, and pull out her treasured instrument and lovingly tuck it back under her chin, it was like welcoming back an old friend. Shizuru nearly cried at the feelings unleashed within her as she tenderly drew the bow across the violin strings, and the long-missed sounds of beautiful music once again caressed her ears.

Saeko brought a hand to her lips as the exquisite sounds of Shizuru's violin playing filled the piano room that she, Nao, Mikoto, and Natsuki all sat in listening to Shizuru work her musical magic.

Natsuki was brought back to that fateful day, what now seemed like a small lifetime ago, when she had stepped out of her limo and was serenaded by the honey-haired girl on a street corner.

Once Shizuru was finished playing, flushed a pretty pink from the mild exertion of playing with all her heart, she blushed even deeper and bowed shyly at the applause that she received from her small audience.

Natsuki then stepped forward with the dazzling smile that always took Shizuru's breath away. The cobalt-haired girl gently took Shizuru's hand, gave her a minute to place her violin lovingly back into its case, and then led Shizuru out to the estate's sprawling, hilly backyard.

It was twilight outside with nighttime quickly approaching, but there was still enough light for the two teens to make their way up to what had become over the past weeks their 'special spot'. It was beneath a huge tree, whose branches and leaves provided very ample shading during the daylight hours, and a small private cove during the quiet nighttime.

Shizuru and Natsuki lay side-by-side, their backs pressed up against the tree's broad trunk, with a soft wooly blanket tucked around them both to ward off the mildly-cool nighttime air. They spent a couple of pleasurable hours together, gazing up at the brightly-twinkling night sky pointing out constellations to each other. And admiring the glowing moon and a stray shooting star or two, happy and comfortable in each others presence. Trying to soak up as much personal, private time together as they could.

_Because school started for Shizuru the next day._


	5. Chapter 5

**AN** - Longest chapter yet! Hope you all enjoy =D

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><p>"Mikoto, stay still will ya. I'm <em>trying<em> to straighten your uniform," Nao said in exasperation, as she tugged down lightly on the blue sailor-skirt that the amber-eyed young girl now wore. Mikoto twirled a bit, laughing happily as she admired her new school uniform. Nao threw up her hands in defeat and stalked away to the kitchen, where Saeko was making lunches for them all. Natsuki considered herself _way_ too old to have lunches made for her, and preferred to either eat at the school cafeteria, or go out for a quick bite to eat at one of her favourite lunch spots. Saeko however was having a grand 'ol time preparing healthy, nutritious meals for all her 'children' and she gently chided Natsuki to bring a lunch with her to school for the first week at least, just so Shizuru and the other girls would feel a bit more comfortable.

Natsuki had heaved a deep sigh but agreed to her mother's wishes, and so now she sat on a stool at the large kitchen counter, watching her mother finish up making everyone's lunches.

Shizuru stood beside Saeko, helping the older woman pack everyone's lunches up. Natsuki covertly admired how the smooth, light-grey skirt and form-fitting orange and white top of the school uniform fit Shizuru's body.

"Ugh, Mikoto is too excited to stand still. I suggest we get this show on the road, and head out to this Fuuka Academy and get this day started," Nao said, as she slipped onto the stool next to Natsuki and surreptitiously took a bright, plump strawberry from the counter and popped it into her mouth.

"Hmm...these are so good," Nao moaned slightly, as her hand reached out for another tasty strawberry. But when her hand encountered nothing but air where the bowl of strawberries had been, Nao looked up with a small pout at Saeko, who was tilting her finger back and forth in a 'uh-uh' motion.

"No more strawberries for you young lady until it's lunch time at school," Saeko said with a slightly-amused smile, as she watched Nao pout a bit more.

"Aww, okay then I'm taking some of yours at lunch, Natsuki," Nao said with a smirk as she turned to the cobalt-haired girl.

Natsuki tucked a loose strand of her indigo-coloured hair behind her ear, as she turned and returned Nao's smirk.

"Fat chance of _that_ happening. I'm giving my strawberries to Shizuru," Natsuki said matter-of-factually but then she seemed to realize what she had just said, and her face turned an interesting shade of red as she turned her face away from the lightly-giggling Shizuru.

Saeko smiled indulgently at all her children, and then told them to gather up their lunch bags. Mikoto had wandered in during the conversation, and she was the first to grab her lunch bag and run out to the large front door. There was a long table leaning against the creamy-white wall by the door, and all four of the girls had their school bags laid out on the table's surface. Mikoto grabbed her brand-new school bag, and raced out the front door to the waiting black limo outside.

Natsuki, Shizuru, and Nao followed at a more sedate but-no-less-excited pace, and once they had also gathered up their belongings, they followed Mikoto out the front door and towards the waiting car.

Shizuru paused briefly before stepping down the front steps leading to the richly-cobbled walkway, and turned to give a surprised Saeko a quick kiss on the cheek. Shizuru then gave Saeko a shy smile and wave, and hurriedly made her way out to the waiting car and slipped inside it. Saeko slowly raised a hand to her cheek, and gently touched the spot Shizuru had just kissed.

Tears came to her emerald-green eyes as she looked up at the clear, cloudless sky and softly whispered, _I never met you, but I just want you to know that your little girl Shizuru, has grown into a beautiful, sweet, kind, and amazing young woman who cares deeply for all those around her. You would be so proud of her..._

~o~o~o~

"We're here, we're here!" Mikoto cried out excitedly, as she bounced happily up and down on the plush, leather seat in the back of the limo. The black car had pulled up to the wide-open gates of the school and Nao, Shizuru and Mikoto looked out through the car's tinted windows to stare in amazement at the sprawling, gorgeous campus.

Natsuki just watched her 'family' who were also now her close friends with a small smirk, at how excited they were for their first day of school.

"Well, let's get out there then and start your first day," Natsuki said, as she reached out to open the car door. She needn't have bothered as the driver had already come around, and was now opening the car door for her. The original driver who had unintentionally hit Shizuru, had been fired the very next day by Ichiro Kuga. He had told his wife on a long-distance call from Mumbai that he couldn't have incompetent, imbecilic people like that driver working for him.

"Thank you," Natsuki said with a polite smile, as she stepped from the back of the car and straightened her uniform. She then reached back into the car and held up her hand for Shizuru to take, and helped the honey-haired girl from out of the car. Mikoto came spilling out from the backseat next, just a bundle of excited energy, with Nao stepping lightly from the back of the vehicle last.

The three formerly and essentially homeless girls looked admiringly around at the beautifully manicured, and wide open spaces of the school. There were towering buildings that housed the main campus itself, plus three separate library buildings, two Olympic-sized pools, numerous tennis courts, lacrosse and archery fields, and even a wide open area where students dressed in riding gear were riding horses.

Shizuru, Nao, and Mikoto had never seen a school like this before. In fact they have never seen _any_ place that looked like this before. And the fact that it was just a place for students like they were now, to come and learn amazed the three girls even more.

"Come on, let's go inside and get you three your class schedules," Natsuki said with a small grin, as she began leading her three friends towards the biggest building on the campus.

As the four girls walked along it became obvious to Shizuru, Nao, and Mikoto that Natsuki was a bit of a celebrity on campus. Girls and guys all whispered and pointed as they walked along, some giggling and blushing. Mostly the girls blushed as they shyly batted their eyelashes at Natsuki, or openly ogled her. The guys mainly tried to look suave and cool, and then looked defeated and deflated when Natsuki walked right passed them without even a brief look.

Shizuru, Nao, and Mikoto were all getting their fair share of looks too. However the whispers they were hearing directed towards them, were anything but flowery and sweet as they had been towards Natsuki. The three young girls heard things like, "that's the tramp who wormed her way into the Kuga household." Or "I bet she _threw_ herself in front of that car on purpose, somehow knowing Natsuki was inside." And "do you see those other two street tramps with the red-eyed bimbo? I heard they were all living on the streets before, and somehow convinced Mr. Kuga to let them stay in his house. My Daddy works with Mr. Kuga, and he knows all the details."

The whispering and pointing continued, as the four girls made their way up the gleaming-white steps leading into the main building, and they all stepped into the cool environment of the building.

Nao was visibly shaking with rage at what all those people outside were saying about them, but Shizuru was lightly holding her hand and gently shaking her head 'no' at her. Natsuki was frowning deeply, incredibly unhappy with all that had been said about her new family, but she knew that in this school that rumours had to run their course. There was no use in trying to argue or fight with all the people spreading the wild rumours and lies, as that would only make things worse for the other three girls.

That didn't mean she had to like it though.

"Hey, Natsuki! You're here, and you finally brought the new gang to school with you! Welcome!" Chie cried out from down the hall, as she and Mai hurried over to the four girls.

Natsuki breathed a huge sigh of relief as she waved back to her two friends, and quickly introduced Mai and Chie to the other three girls.

"Mai, Chie this is Shizuru, Nao, and Mikoto. These two are my best friends here at the school," Natsuki said with a grin, as she introduced everyone to each other.

Shizuru smiled gratefully as she shook both Mai and Chie's hands. At least there _were_ some people at this school who weren't judging her on false rumours and lies, and who seemed to genuinely want to meet her. _But of course they were Natsuki's friends, and Natsuki would never associate with people who were false or just blame idiots,_ Shizuru thought to herself as she watched with amusement as Mikoto ran up to Mai, and gave her a huge snuggly hug instead of the handshake the orange-haired girl had expected.

Mai blinked in surprise as she looked down at Mikoto's dark-hired head resting happily on her chest, and she let out a slightly-embarrassed giggle as Chie pulled out a cellphone from seemingly nowhere, and began snapping photos of the hugging pair.

"Well, well, well don't you all look so happy and cozy together already," a new voice that was practically dripping with sarcasm said, as a girl Natsuki's age came up and stood before the small group.

"Tomoe," Natsuki all but growled out, as she eyed the teal-haired girl before her with disdain.

"Natsukiii..." Tomoe purred as she sidled up beside Natsuki, getting right into her personal space. Natsuki took a step back with a scowl, and quickly grabbed Tomoe's hands as the tried to connect with her body.

Tomoe raised a eyebrow at Natsuki's blatant rejection of her advances, but she smiled that smile that always set Natsuki's skin crawling, and stepped back out from Natsuki's personal space.

"So, I see that the rumours of you taking in three strays are true, Natsuki dear. How...unfortunate," Tomoe drawled out, as she looked Shizuru, Nao, and Mikoto over with barely-concealed contempt. "Though I must admit _this_ one has something about her that I do kind of..._like_," Tomoe bit off the last word almost as if she could taste it, as she looked Shizuru up and down with a sly and interested look in her eye. Shizuru did her best to try to hide a shiver, as she moved a bit closer to Natsuki.

Tomoe didn't miss the movement though, and a frown quickly creased her lips, and she lowered a smoldering-glare at Shizuru.

"You're entirely too close to _my_ Natsuki. Step back. Now," Tomoe growled beneath her breath.

"That's it! I've _had_ it with all these crazy idiots! You're going to be the first one I pummel," Nao exclaimed angrily, as she pulled back her fist to nail this annoying Tomoe bitch in her face. And even as everyone else around her was crying out 'no!', Nao's fist was already rushing forward. However the skin that it impacted on didn't feel like a scum-sucking female's face, and Nao focused her angry green eyes on what she had actually hit.

"Now now, no fighting in the hallways ladies. You know the rules, Natsuki. You should be sure to tell these...lovely lady friends of yours the rules of our school," a smooth male voice interjected, as Nao dropped her fist which had impacted with the palm of the stranger now standing before her.

"Reito," Natsuki said with slight disgust, as she continued to stand before Shizuru in an almost protective stance.

"That's _President_ Reito now, Natsuki dear. Be sure to remember that," the dark-haired young man replied, as he leveled a smile at Shizuru that usually made most females swoon on the spot. "And who is this beautiful flower we have standing right here?" Reito continued as he swiftly moved over to Shizuru's side, and took the startled girl's hand into his own, gently kissing the back of it. Reito completely ignored Natsuki's outraged cry, and just looked deeply into Shizuru's wine-red eyes.

"My dear, you have the most startling yet intriguing pair of eyes I've ever seen. Please, tell me your name so that I may know what to call such a beautiful flower," Reito said as he leaned his head closer to Shizuru's, his voice dripping with sickeningly-sweet charm.

"You mean _weed_ not flower," Tomoe scuffed in annoyance, just as Natsuki pushed her way in between Shizuru and Reito, effectively creating a shield for her honey-haired friend.

"Back. Off. **Now**, Kanzaki," Natsuki's voice had lowered to a level that Shizuru had never heard before, and she raised her hand to lightly grip onto the back of Natsuki's uniform top.

Reito still had a smile on his face, but Natsuki could see the annoyance that flashed behind his golden eyes, as he did what she said and stepped back.

"Why the hell are _so_ many of you delenquents standing around here!" a new voice cried out, and Natsuki had the sudden urge to rub her forehead tiredly. She had just wanted to get Shizuru, Nao, and Mikoto their class schedules so that they could start their school day. It seemed that the Universe was conspiring with Fate and Destiny to make her morning a living hell, and she could almost _hear_ the three cackling to themselves, as they looked down upon the mayhem they had made of her morning.

"Ahh Haruka, I believe you meant 'delinquents' and they actually aren't that...hi Natsuki," a mousy, brown-haired girl said as she pushed up her small glasses on her nose and waved at Natsuki.

Natsuki let out a deep sigh as she waved back.

"Yo, Yukino," she replied.

"Hey, hey! No chatting it up with Yukino. You all need to **stop** whatever nonsense you're all doing here and _get to class_!" a fiery, lavender-eyed blond exclaimed loudly, as she stood beside Yukino with her hands fisted on her hips. "And _you_ 'President' Reito. I'm _shocked_ to see you here in the middle of all this. Just shopped," Haruka continued her tirade, as she raised one hand and pointed angrily at Reito's face.

"I think you had the word 'shocked' right the first time," Nao snickered, which instantly earned her a deep scowl from Haruka.

Reito just flashed Haruka one of his patented smiles, which of course never had any effect on the blond.

"Vice-President Haruka. Secretary Yukino. Always a pleasure. I'll see you both at the Student Council meeting later. Good day everyone," Reito said as he turned to Shizuru once more with one of his most dashing smiles. "My dear beautiful flower, I do hope that we shall have a chance to speak again sometime soon, without all of these...ruffians around," Reito said in his trademark smooth voice, before he turned on his heel and slipped away.

"I just do...not...like that guy. How the hell he ever became President over me is a mystery," Haruka grumbled under her breath, as she watched Reito slink away.

"It was the number of his fangirls that pushed his vote up, Haruka," Yukino answered, as she pushed her always-slipping glasses up her nose again.

Haruka grumbled to herself briefly about slimy, smarmy guys with too many fangirls with cotton candy for brains, before she once again turned her eyes on the group before her. "You! You have detention after school for almost punching another student. Good job on your first day," Haruka exclaimed, as she pointed a finger at Nao's face.

"What!" Nao exclaimed as she took a step towards the blond, who was _really_ beginning to piss her off now. But Mikoto who had let go of Mai, now jumped onto Nao's back and held the angry red-head back.

Haruka just raised a golden eyebrow at Nao, and then summarily dismissed her as she continued on with what she was saying. "Natsuki and Tomoe, you both also have detention for being a part of all of...whatever the hell all of this was so early in the morning," Haruka said, as she nodded in satisfaction at having handed out so many detentions before lunchtime. Her only regret was that she couldn't hit Reito with one as well, unfortunately he _was_ the Student Council President.

"W-W-What!" Natsuki sputtered out, while Tomoe turned red with rage. The teal-haired girl quickly spun on her heels, and marched off in a angry huff.

"Ahh...excuse me, Vice-President Haruka..." a soft voice caught Haruka's attention, and she focused in on the scarlet-eyed, sandy-haired girl who had stepped up before her.

"Please, don't punish Nao and Natsuki. All of this was just one big misunderstanding. This is...our first time in a school like this, and things just got so out of hand so quickly. We didn't mean to cause any trouble on our first day here. We're terribly sorry," here Shizuru gently pulled Nao over, and lightly tugged the red-head down to bow slightly to the Student Council Vice-President. Nao scowled fiercely at having to do this but she always followed Shizuru, so though it hurt her pride, Nao bowed in apology to Haruka.

Haruka felt her eyebrow twitch heavily at the bowed heads before her. She then threw her hands up in the air, and cried out with a loud huff, "fine fine, no detention for you or Natsuki! Just quit bowing to me already! You're making me uncomfortable." Haruka then mumbled under her breath about crazy new students, doing crazy things like bowing down to her, which caused Yukino to giggle softly beside her.

Shizuru quickly straightened back up and hit Haruka with a smile so dazzling, that the blond realized with a small gulp that this new girl would probably soon have a legion of fangirls herself. Which meant more headaches and paperwork for the blond. Haruka grumped and muttered to herself about infatuated teens leaving a mess with love-notes and rejected, discarded boxes of chocolate as she turned around and stomped off, with Yukino following closely behind. Yukino paused briefly to wave at them all, before she hurried to catch back up with Haruka, who had called back for Yukino to hurry up.

A brief silence filled the air as Natsuki, Shizuru, Mikoto, Nao, Mai and Chie all looked at each other, before they all burst out into tension-relieving laughter. It had been a crazy morning, and the day had just begun.

And so as the group of newly-formed friends began making their way down the hallways to their respective classes, they all wandered what the rest of the day would bring.

~o~o~o~

Shizuru's back impacted _hard_ against a brick wall and she slid down its surface slowly, holding her cheek where a hard slap had just hit it, causing her to whimper softly in pain.

"And you'll get more of the same if you continue to act so 'cozy' around _our_ Natsuki. Isn't that right, Miya and Yayoi?" Tomoe asked her two lackeys as they stood in a small semi-circle around Shizuru, where they had managed to corner the chestnut-haired girl behind the gym building after school, where Shizuru was leaving after her last new class of the day.

"Just remember, cupcake. You're pretty cute yourself, and someday I may decide to take a _taste_ of you myself. But I've had my eye on Natsuki Kuga for a _very_ long time now. Once you're in with a Kuga, you're set for life. And I'm **not** about to let some street urchin just stroll in, and take what I've already claimed as _mine_. So remember what I said and watch...your...back," Tomoe purred into Shizuru's ear as she took the tawny-haired girl's face into her hand, and lightly rubbed her cheek against Shizuru's.

Then almost as soon as they had appeared and ambushed her, Tomoe and her two lackeys moved back and walked away, the sound of their fading laughter filling the air around the brunette. Shizuru pulled herself up onto wobbling legs, using the wall as a brace. She whimpered softly again as the mark on her cheek, which she was sure would bruise soon, sent a small spasm of hurt across her face.

"Shizuru!" the chestnut-haired girl heard someone call out her name, and a number of running feet coming towards her. Shizuru allowed herself to fall crying into Natsuki's protective embrace, hearing the emerald-eyed girl growl out in anger, wanting to know what had happened.

Shizuru could only close her eyes and cling tightly to Natsuki, as she felt Nao place a hand on her back and gently rub it. She could practically feel the anger radiating off of the red-head in waves, and she heard Mikoto sniffling softly in worry behind her.

Her first day at school had not gone _anything_ like how Shizuru had imagined it would, and she wondered how she was going to survive the next day.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong> - Please leave me cookies in the form of reviews~

They work amazingly in helping me post chapters at a quick, steady pace =3


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